The Second Apocalypse
The Second Apocalypse is an epic fantasy series written by Canadian author R. Scott Bakker and consisting of three sub-series: The Prince of Nothing (three volumes), The Aspect-Emperor (four volumes), and a forthcoming series called The No-God. The series is currently expected to span nine books in total. The first seven volumes of The Second Apocalypse were published between 2003 and 2017. The key feature distinguishing The Second Apocalypse from its contemporaries is the importance of philosophy to the work. The plot, characters, setting, and metaphysics of The Second Apocalypse are intertwined with philosophical positions unique to the series. Background R. Scott Bakker began developing The Second Apocalypse while in college in the 1980s. The series was originally planned to be a trilogy with the first two books titled The Prince of Nothing and The Aspect-Emperor. The third book was long referred to as The Book That Shall Not Be Named by Bakker, since its title book was considered to be a spoiler for the preceding volumes. When Bakker began writing the series in the early 2000s, however, he found it necessary to split each of the three novels into its own sub-series to incorporate all of the characters, themes and ideas he wished to explore. Bakker originally conceived of seven books, a trilogy and two duologies. This later shifted to a trilogy, a quartet and a duology, with the acknowledgement that the third series may also expand to a trilogy. Publication history * The Prince of Nothing # The Darkness That Comes Before (2003) # The Warrior Prophet (2004) # The Thousandfold Thought (2006) * The Aspect-Emperor # The Judging Eye (2009) # The White-Luck Warrior (2011) # The Great Ordeal (2016) # The Unholy Consult (2017) * The No-God Bakker has also written several short stories set in the world of The Second Apocalypse which he has called Atrocity Tales. * The Four Revelations of Cinial’jin (2011) * The False Sun (2012) * The Knife of Many Hands (2015) * The Carathayan (2017) The Prince of Nothing The Prince of Nothing trilogy was published between 2003 and 2006. It depicts the story of the First Holy War launched by the inrithi kingdoms against the heathen Fanim of the south to recover the holy city of Shimeh for the faithful. During the war, a man named Anasûrimbor Kellhus emerges from obscurity to become an exceptionally powerful and influential figure, and it is discovered that the Consult, an alliance of forces united in their worship of the legendary No-God, a nihilistic force of destruction, are manipulating events to pave the way for the No-God's return. The first book of the trilogy, The Darkness That Comes Before, was first published in 2003. It depicts the beginnings of the Holy War and the various faction's efforts to pervert it. The second book, The Warrior Prophet, published in 2004, depicts Kellhus's rise to the status of prophet, while the third volume, The Thousandfold Thought, published in 2006, depicts the conclusion of the Holy War. The Aspect-Emperor The second series, The Aspect-Emperor, picks up the story twenty years later with Kellhus leading the New Empire to directly seek out and confront the Consult. The first novel in this new series, The Judging Eye, was published in January 2009, the second, The White-Luck Warrior, was published in 2011. The third novel was split into two volumes due to length: The Great Ordeal was published in July 2016 and The Unholy Consult in 2017. References Category:Main series